Valve Adds Risk of Rain Devs, Fueling Half-Life 3 Rumors

Hopoo Games, the studio behind the acclaimed Risk of Rain series, has begun a new phase as key personnel, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, assume positions at Valve.

Hopoo Games Joins Valve's Game Development TeamStudio Temporarily Halts Operations, Project Snail Suspended

Risk of Rain's original developers Hopoo Games announced that several team members, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, will pursue game development elsewhere. As revealed on Twitter (X), Hopoo Games staff are joining Valve, renowned for Counter-Strike and Half-Life. This transition has resulted in a temporary suspension of Hopoo Games' projects, including the planned game "Snail."

While Hopoo Games joins Valve's game development efforts, the arrangement's permanence remains unclear. However, Drummond's and Morse's LinkedIn profiles suggest the studio persists, with the co-founders retaining their Hopoo Games roles. "We're incredibly grateful to Valve for their partnerships over the past decade, and are thrilled to continue working on their fantastic titles. However, this does mean we're halting production on our unannounced game, 'Snail'," the studio stated. The announcement concluded, "sleep tight, Hopoo Games," as development on project Snail has ceased.

Founded in 2012 by Drummond and Morse, Hopoo Games distinguished itself with the launch of Risk of Rain, a dynamic roguelike challenging players to escape a hostile alien world. The game was followed by the sequel Risk of Rain 2 in 2019. In 2022, Hopoo Games sold the Risk of Rain IP to Gearbox, which has since continued developing the series, including the recently released Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm DLC. Despite some criticism the DLC received, Drummond expressed confidence in Gearbox's approach with the series, stating on Twitter (X) that "Gearbox is heading in the right direction."

Valve's Deadlock in Early Access Amidst Half-Life 3 Speculation

While neither Valve nor Hopoo has revealed specific details about their next project, Valve's prominent current project, the MOBA hero shooter "Deadlock," remains in its early access stage. Furthermore, persistent speculation regarding the possible development of Half-Life 3 suggests that Hopoo Games might be assisting with the rumored title.

Speculation on Half-Life 3 resuming production was ignited by a recent update to a voice actor's online profile mentioning a cryptic "Project White Sands" connected to Valve. Although the project was swiftly removed from the profile, it rekindled fan theories about the long-awaited sequel to the Half-Life series.

As noted by news outlet Eurogamer, franchise enthusiasts have since speculated that "white sand" might be linked to Half-Life 3, with some noting that "White Sands is a park in New Mexico... " aligning with Black Mesa, a fan-made reimagining of Half-Life. The game features Black Mesa Research Facility, an in-game location in New Mexico that serves as the setting for Half-Life and the eponymous game.